Abstract
The increasing sophistication of cyber threats from AI-driven adversarial attacks to
quantum-enabled exploits has revealed critical limitations in conventional network
anomaly detection (NAD) and intrusion detection systems (IDS). This review addresses
a gap in existing literature through its synthesis of advancements from 2015 to 2024.
It systematically evaluates the interplay between technological innovation, evolving
attack vectors, and also regulatory constraints. Our analysis, unlike prior surveys, covers
methodological evolution, ethical-compliance challenges, operational scalability, and
emerging threat landscapes. By cataloging over 120 peer-reviewed studies, alongside
industry reports, we identify further model shifts to federated learning in decentralized
threat analysis, also graph neural networks (GNNs) to track advanced persistent threats
(APTs), with homomorphic encryption in real-time inspection regarding encrypted traffic.
Enduring barriers involve biases in ML training datasets, interoperability gaps inside hybrid
systems, as well as the absence of standardized benchmarks for AI-driven IDS.
The review critiques the disconnect that is between academic research and industrial
deployment, supporting lightweight and explainable models for resource-constrained
networks. We propose one taxonomy of next-generation NAD/IDS architectures stressing
zero-trust principles, adversarial resilience, and human-in-the-loop validation. The work
underscores the urgency of international collaboration to establish open threat intelligence
repositories. It also highlights regulatory sandboxes, ensuring cybersecurity innovation
aligns with global imperatives.
Keywords
cybersecurity, zero-day exploits, federated learning, homomorphic encryption, adversarial resilience, iot security, quantum-safe encryption, behavioral modeling, dataset obsolescence, automated response.